Winter walking aids

I don't normally use a cane but I have started using one to help me in snowy conditions  These photos were taken in downtown Erie during the Thanksgiving storm of 2024. I am just telling you how it worked for me, everyone is different, and you need to judge for yourself if this makes sense.  

I found I could use the cane to reach across large mounds of snow to push the crossing signal. This mound in front of the Post Office was way to big to reach across, and would have required that I crawl across a little, but with the cane I was able to easily reach it. 

Bus shelter was cleared but getting there was a little shaky so this provided added stability. 

Helps with this situation too. 

Regarding ice, I usually use ice traction devices on my boots if the ice is terribly slippery but sometimes the cane can be enough if it is not too bad. Again, that's just me. Just be careful out there. 

I take the Presque Isle Express and visit Beach 8

I took EMTA's Presque Isle Express last Saturday. I visited Beach 8, which I can't ever remember ever spending any time at. I have never been into hanging out at the beach, and this is a really "beachy" area. But it was a gorgeous day and the lake was beautiful. I wanted to check out a few things, especially related to accessibility, here you go.

 Click on photos to enlarge 

Beach wheelchairs available at Beach 8 and Public Safety Building (Ranger Station), Free, first come first serve, ID required. Info: Ranger station 814-833-1495 or Park office at TREC 814-833-7424  https://www.discoverpi.com/projects/beach-wheelchairs  

Concrete ramp and deck at east end of Beach 8, near lifeguard chair. 

Soft ramp at east end of Beach 8. I don't know the story about the tent at the end, if the park put it there or if some less than considerate person set up camp there.

New solar panels in parking area provide electricity to the park and shade keeps vehicles cooler

Food Trucks They've had trouble with the concession stands since COVID, now they are allowing Food Trucks. Call Ranger Station for which trucks are where. 

Sign heading east toward Beach 7: cars etc. stay left, pedestrians & bikes stay right. 

Accessible beach area at Beach 7 (just east of Beach 8). Paved pathway (above) and accessible large shady deck area (below) 

Other areas on Park:

 Accessibility at Waterworks area at Presque Isle July 31, 2022 A couple years ago wrote about accessibility at the Waterworks/Cookhouse/Beach 7 area a couple years ago, if you want that sort of into:

Beach 11: Quick look at Accessibility  posted on Facebook June 2023. I checked this out because EMTA Presque Isle Express was running a bus shuttle to the Wednesday concerts at this beach. 

More Presque Isle info:

Presque Isle  info from DCNR

Accessible Erie: Presque Isle State Parke from Accessible Erie A project of Voices for Independence

Apartment hunting for transit users

Apartment hunters, here are a few words and tips about the Facebook marketplace features for walkers, bikers, and Transit users.

These are helpful but sometimes not exactly accurate IMHO

For example, I've chosen an address right by 8th and Cherry, (which I've highlighted in yellow.) I'm very familiar with the area so I'm also familiar with the transit situation. See screen capture below.

Transit Score™ (highlighted in green) offers a score that sometimes doesn't seem to be that accurate. I would actually rate this address pretty high in terms of transit availability, yet the score they give it is only 41 out of 100. For instance from 8th and Cherry address there are four bus routes: Routes 4 and 30 on West 10th and Route 31 and 32 on West 6th. These are each very close by at least for my purposes. It seems to be a very transit-friendly location (.2 mile/4 min on foot) and I would think deserves a higher rating than they gave it

Below the scores is a "Nearby Transit" feature (in red highlight).

This is very helpful and usually quite accurate in telling you what which routes are near an address. 

For this particular address, however, I was surprised because it tells readers that for that -- although both 31 and 32 stop at West 6th and Cherry, the feature tells them to go to the Gridley Park shelter corner (.4 mi/9 min)

The scores and the transit info come from a national organization so I guess they could miss things that a local concern wouldn't. For me it wasn't a biggie just be aware.. it's still pretty helpful. (click/tap to enlarge)

 

Map

Also if you want housing on a particular route, open up the map (next photo) and click on the addresses being offered on that route. Click on a listing for further info and photos

Erie's Transitway Mall 1973-1993

Erie's Transitway Mall was built in 1973, and demolished in 1993. If you'd like to know more, check out these sources:

Lou Tullio's Transitway Mall  by Debbi Lyon, Old Time Erie Feb. 14, 2014

The Complicated Saga of Downtown Erie's Transitway Mall  Ed Whitbred, B..S. Presentation at Jefferson Educational Society July 19, 2023

Transitway Mall  Erie's History and Memorabilia 

Flashback Friday – April 1993, Demolition of Transitway Mall (YourErie June 2013) 

Transitways   National Association of City Transportation Officials

Upcoming Meetings & Events ~ March 2023

Mar 9 - America Walks webinar:: Walking, Biking, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: What You and Your Community Need to Know 02:00 PM  Registration "Join the partners of the Intersections Initiative (America Walks, the League of American Bicyclists, and Safe Routes Partnership) to learn about new federal programs for walking and biking infrastructure, the upcoming opportunities you need to know about, and the initial steps you can take to prepare your community to apply for funding." 

March 20 - EMTA Recruitment event  10am -2pm Northwest PA CareerLink (1647 Sassafrass St, Erie

March 25 - Rad Swap Meet 11am - 4pm Basement Transmissions 145 W 11th St., Bikes, bike parts, riding gear, etc.  Erie. Pre-Swap Ride leaves Griswold Park at 9am  

Mar 27 - EMTA Monthly Board Meeting 4pm via Zoom "Attendees are required to register for the Board Meeting no later than the Thursday prior before 12:00 pm for a private link to the Zoom meeting. Attendees must email their name, email, and phone number to tcroll@ride-the-e.com for access to the meeting. Public comments can be emailed to tcroll@ride-the-e.com by the Friday prior to the meeting date. Public Comments will be recorded in the Minutes. The public is now allowed address comments during the ‘Public Comment’ section at the beginning of the meeting. We will notify the public once in person meetings are allowed."

Apr 5 - National Walking Day 

Apr 22 - Earth Day 

~~~~~

City of Erie Bikeway Survey  

Click/tap here for Erie MPO Organization meeting schedule 

Upcoming meetings & events Feb 2023

Feb 15 - Public meeting to review/comment on draft Greengarden Bikeway Project  5:30 p.m. at Erie City Hall in the City Council chambers. : "City of Erie and its consultant team from Whitman, Requardt and Associates (WRA) will host a public meeting to review the draft Greengarden Boulevard Bikeway Project and receive comments from the public. Streamed live thru City of Erie Facebook page Info: https://www.activeerie.com/bikeway/ 

Feb 21 - Sidewalks for Summit Township Summit Township Supervisors hereby gives notice of intent to amend Ordinance #2019-04, Sidewalks, at the Regular Business meeting on February 21, 2023, at 4:30 pm. The proposed amendment revises requirements for sidewalks and obligations for property owners. Meeting will be held at the Municipal Building, 1230 Townhall Rd, Erie, PA 16509. A complete copy of the proposed Ordinance may be examined, during regular business hours (8 am – 4 pm), Monday through Friday.Lisa A. Vallimont, Secretary

Feb 26 - BikeErie event: We Love Bikes at Julius 1607 State Erie PA 5pm "Join us for an evening of food, socializing, and a panel discussion on the state of biking in Erie at Julius, formerly the Erie Maennerchor club. Free for members, $10 for non-members, includes food. Raffles and a cash bar!"

Feb 27 - EMTA Monthly Board meeting 4:00 pm via Zoom "Attendees are required to register for the Board Meeting no later than the Thursday prior before 12:00 pm for a private link to the Zoom meeting. Attendees must email their name, email, and phone number to tcroll@ride-the-e.com for access to the meeting. Public comments can be emailed to tcroll@ride-the-e.com by the Friday prior to the meeting date. Public Comments will be recorded in the Minutes. The public is now allowed address comments during the ‘Public Comment’ section at the beginning of the meeting. We will notify the public once in person meetings are allowed."

Erie MPO Organization Quarterly Hybrid Meeting 2023 Schedule 

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

Accessibility of Waterworks area at Presque Isle

The Waterworks area is the most accessible area of Presque Isle.

It doesn't really have a lot to do with bus service, but I figured since this is a stop used by the Presque Isle Express, I would share some basic information about accessibility. I will follow up with more specific information especially about the accessible beach area and the restrooms, but I wanted to at least get this started. Comments encouraged and appreciated. 

The Waterworks area has a network of paved paths that allow you to move around most of the area without leaving a paved surface. Within the area are a multi-purpose trail, a bayside dock, two sets of accessible restrooms and an accessible porta-john, an accessible  lakeside beach deck with a wide ramp, floating dock on a pond, smooth path to playground area and accessible picnic areas. 

Click photos to enlarge

Map is from Google maps, I did add some things to it specific to this article. 

CROSSWALK - If you require a smooth surface at all times, ask the bus driver to leave you off at the crosswalk. Although the area is well-paved, this is the only place where the road connects to the paths.  The surrounding area is packed dirt and grass, so if you don't require a flat surface you can still get around, but this is the spot for "smooth landing."

Crosswalk on bay side

Crosswalk looking toward lake side 

RESTROOMS - All restrooms are accessible. The Rotary Pavilion restroom area path is smooth. In addition to a men's and women's room, it also has a single, straight-entrance restroom in the middle. Also water fountains at two heights. The other rest area is in an unpaved parking area on the bayside, and. the surface of the parking area there is packed dirt and small stones. There was an accessible porta-john by Cabin #1, but I don't know if it is removed in off-seasons.

Restrooms in Rotary Pavilion area

MULTI-PURPOSE TRAIL is an ADA accessible 13+ mile loop around the park, and is used by people using mobility devices as well as hikers, runners, cyclists, skateboards and others. Generally people are respectful of each other; etiquette tip: stay on the right side and leave room on the left for oncoming and people wanting to pass. Although the map calls it a bike trail and there are some cyclists who would like a dedicated trail, this one is called multi-purpose and it is for all manner of moving around.

Multi-Purpose Trail used by everyone

FLOATING DOCK extends into the eastern pond. There is a smooth bridge connecting it to the dock, and a wide deck.with benches. Fishing is allowed from the floating dock. Note: I don't know why the bridge leading to the dock was crooked on this visit. But it is still wide enough to accommodate anyone who wanted to travel on it.

LAKESIDE BEACH DECK AREA - There is a large accessible deck on Beach 7. There is a wide ramp area that leads to the deck. If you travel by private vehicle, there are about six spaces reserved on either side of the entrance to the deck. 

In years past there has been a mat leading from the deck to the water's edge, but it was gone this year. I called the park office about the mat, and they said although it was removed from Beach 7, there are mats on Beaches 8 and 11. I don't know how long these are left in place, and would recommend checking ahead ( 814-833-7424 ) if you plan to use them.

PLAYGROUND AREA PATH Playground itself has sandy floor but there is a smooth pank path and bench so one can watch and supervise. 

PICNIC AREAS - The cabins #2 and #3 and pavilion are accessible inside but only open to parties who have reserved them. Cabin area path is an unpaved road. Cookhouse shelter (bayside)  is often reserved but when it isn't, people who want to eat or take a rest will sit down at the tables. Cookhouse shelter is paved and has wide aisles but sometimes tables block the way from the path. Individual tables are up for grabs but usually on the grass. 

WHEELCHAIR RENTALS?  unfortunately the bike rental business does not rent mobility devices like beach wheelchairs or even the garden variety mobility devices. I guess they have their reasons, but it seems like an odd omission since they rent all kinds of other wheelie things. Presque Isle Partnership is working on making beach wheelchairs available though... check it out  UPDATE: As of 2024 Beach wheelchairs  available to borrow for free at Beach 8 and Public Safety Building (ranger station.)

BUS STOP INBOUND - The inbound bus (heading back into town)  is located a little to the east of the paved crosswalk. The berm is pretty solid, but if you need to stay on a solid surface, I guess stay on the outbound crosswalk and wave the driver down? Perhaps this could be addressed by drivers and those who would be affected by an unpaved surface. 

Surface at inbound bus stop is packed dirt 

Presque Isle Park Office  814-833-7424

Other areas on Park:

Beach 8 visit July 2024 shows recent accessibility features and some other cool stuff.  

Beach 11: Quick look at Accessibility  posted on Facebook June 2023. I checked this out because EMTA Presque Isle Express was running a bus shuttle to the Wednesday concerts at this beach. 

Accessibility at Waterworks area at Presque Isle July 31, 2022 A couple years ago wrote about accessibility at the Waterworks/Cookhouse/Beach 7 area a couple years ago, if you want that sort of into:

More Presque Isle info:

Presque Isle  info from DCNR

Accessible Erie: Presque Isle State Parke from Accessible Erie A project of Voices for Independence

Park and accessibility information    

Mobi-Mats - Presque Isle Partnership 

Presque Isle Partnership Projects (Past and Present) 

City Council OKs walkability, bike, other improvements

From Erie Times News 2/4/2021:

Erie City Council has signed off on a plan to improve transportation and public accessibility throughout the city, particularly for bicycles and pedestrians.
Council on Wednesday morning unanimously approved what’s being called Active Erie during its regular meeting.
The plan examines opportunities to improve the city's transportation network, including walkability and enhancements for bicyclists.

City Council 2/4/2021 presentation and vote Begins at 58:51 

 

Ice walkers keep you upright

This winter has seen some really nasty ice. Glad I have my ice walkers. I highly recommend them for people who want to stay upright when the going gets slippery.
WalMart carries them, as does Dick's, Eddie Bauer and Target. I can't tell you who has them in stock at any given time.
Some find the ice walkers to be inconvenient, but getting injured in a fall is beyond inconvenient. Once while hurrying to catch the bus to work, I slipped on ice and broke my right thumb. I needed to wear a cast from my thumb to my forearm. I worked in a machine shop and was able to adapt in a clunky way, but it was rough. Nowadays I gladly take the "inconvenience" of avoiding slamming into the ice.
If you want to get them online, look under keywords: ice walkers. They are called a number of different things (e.g., grippers, yaktrax, ice cleats) but "ice walkers" will probably get you the best search results.
Also check out Helpful Hints for Walking on Snow and Ice.

For illustration only. Left, Due North Everyday Traction. Right, Yaktrax® Walk

Viaduct demolition is a community tragedy.

No, I am not sentimental about the bridge. Not one bit. But I am really disturbed that the people making this decision--car-owners, all--are setting up a situation that puts pedestrians at much increased danger.

This past year I put a few things out there about the Viaduct.  Unless there is an 11th hour halt to the demolition, it's all basically over. Just one more destructive car culture decision that ignores the actual needs of pedestrians and communities.

Why post these now? Well, as I said I did share these things earlier. But I want to put them out there again, because even if/when the bridge is gone, I want to do my part to make it know what a stupid, wasteful and dangerous decision this was.

Video tour
This past March I went to the Viaduct with my camera and took people on a video tour, especially trying to explain why the alternative bridge was unsafe. I did it on the spur of the moment, after City Council voted against a public hearing.

Senior walker weighing in about Viaduct and safety
Sent this letter to the editor in February:

I am almost 65, and have been an avid walker all my life. A walker doesn’t get to that age without some basic sense of street safety.

So let me just say this. The city is removing the viaduct under the mistaken notion that the bridge at 12th & Bayfront Parkway is a safe alternative. It most certainly is not. The viaduct may be only a block away, but the traffic situation is much more intense at 12th & Bayfront. Yes, there are traffic lights, but the risk of a problem is greatly increased, especially at rush hour.

I often used the viaduct when I worked in the area several years ago. I never used the Bayfront bridge, in large part because I didn’t feel safe at that crossing.

I walked that bridge for the first time a couple weeks ago. Besides the intersection, I noticed a couple other things. (1) exhaust fumes from traffic (2) it had been snowing heavily, and a plow sprayed snow onto the sidewalk; pedestrians would have had no escape.(3) I also wondered what would happen when the sidewalk was full of plowed snow, and guessed some children might try to walk in the street.

These safety concerns have never been adequately addressed. I am not “emotional” about the bridge. I am, however, deeply worried that the city is removing the safest passage through that area, and is expecting children and others to use an intersection that I personally plan to never use again. 

Deb Spilko Erie PA

Photos investigating reports of crumbling bridge.
These are some photos I took this past summer. I kept hearing about how decrepit and crumbling the bridge is, so I walked underneath from one end to the other. I walked from end to end and back, taking photos at regular intervals (I took several dozen photos). I did not see anything resembling crumbling, and it would certainly have been safe enough as a pedestrian bridge. I realize there is more to determining the safety of a bridge than just looking at it. My point was, look here, it is not crumbling and chunks aren't falling on trains and people like detractors were saying.
Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

would employees park under a crumbling bridge?

I lightened this so you could see the condition of the underside.

 

Lightened so you can see it better

 

    

 I think the "crumbly" pillar was actually hit by a truck, and the crumbles were not affecting structure.

 

Surface is not in best shape but just seem to be surface issues.